People often wish to have their remains stored or disposed of in a manner which reflects their interests and hobbies. As examples, it is common for people to be buried with fishing lures, gardening equipment, or travel photos where these items reflect their hobbies and interests. In corresponding situations where cremation is chosen rather than burial, they might choose for their cremated remains to be scattered in rivers, gardens, or in various locations about the world. Other options include having a memorial marker (i.e., a gravestone) or cremation urn personalized to reflect the deceased's interests. Providers and carvers of memorial markers often have a number of stock images that can be chosen for placement on a marker (e.g., images of fishing and hunting activities, sporting images, etc.). Similarly, cremation urn providers often have a number of plaques and appliques dealing with interests/hobbies that can be chosen for affixation to a memorial container (e.g., a cremation urn).
For many, the current options for personalization are disappointing. Specifically considering the field of memorial containers for cremated remains, while some degree of personalization is possible, memorial containers are usually personalized by taking a stock container and retrofitting it with a stock image or text, and the resulting memorial container gives a limited impression of personalization: it still expresses very little of the deceased's personality, and it still appears to be a mass-produced, off-the-shelf item. Custom sculptures and castings can be commissioned, but these are exceedingly expensive and unaffordable for most people.